Opera guides
Hänsel und Gretel: synopsis, roles, arias and diction notes
Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel: premiere cast, voice types, synopsis, the Abendsegen and other famous numbers with first lines, and German diction notes.
Diction Desk editors · Checked 19 October 2026 against 6 sources
Hänsel und Gretel is a Märchenoper (fairy-tale opera) by Engelbert Humperdinck, with a libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette after the Grimm fairy tale1. It was first performed at the Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss1. One of its most famous themes is the Abendsegen1.
- Composer
- Engelbert Humperdinck1
- Librettist
- Adelheid Wette, the composer's sister1
- Premiere
- 23 December 1893, Hoftheater, Weimar1
- Language
- German1
- Genre
- Märchenoper (fairy-tale opera)1
- Conductor at premiere
- Richard Strauss1
Contents
Hänsel und Gretel is based on the well-loved fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm2. This page collects the facts to check before you open the score, one of many guides in the operas section.
At a glance
Humperdinck described the work as a Märchenoper, a fairy-tale opera1. The libretto was written by his sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimm brothers’ fairy tale of the same name1. The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister1. It began life in 1890 as a handful of songs, written at Wette’s request to accompany a Christmas play2.
The opera was first performed at the Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss1. The Hamburg premiere followed on 25 September 1894, conducted by Gustav Mahler1. The work has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances1. It was Humperdinck’s one and only big hit2.
Humperdinck’s score is full of folk-music-inspired themes2. The opening number, Suse, liebe Suse, is an authentic folksong from the German region of Brandenburg and serves as the musical basis for the opening scene4.
Who’s who
| Role | Voice type | Premiere singer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter | Baritone | Ferdinand Wiedey1 | A broom-maker, the children’s father1,2 |
| Gertrud | Mezzo-soprano | Luise Tibelti1 | Peter’s wife1 |
| Hänsel | Mezzo-soprano | Ida Schubert1 | Their son1 |
| Gretel | Soprano | Marie Kayser1 | Their daughter1 |
| The Gingerbread Witch | Mezzo-soprano; sometimes a tenor | – | Lures children with cakes and sweets, then pushes them into her oven1 |
| The Sandman | Soprano | Frl. Hartwig1 | Sends the children to sleep2 |
| The Dew Fairy | Soprano | Frl. Hartwig1 | Awakens the children2 |
Hänsel is a mezzo-soprano, and the Witch is sometimes sung by a tenor1. Check the cast list before you assign a voice type to a role in your production.
Synopsis
Act 1
At home Gretel stitches a stocking, and Hänsel is making a broom1. Mother sends Hänsel and Gretel to the haunted Ilsenstein forest to look for strawberries1. The father returns and surprises the mother by taking from his pack a feast1.
Act 2
Act 2 opens in the forest, where Hänsel searches for strawberries1. The Sandman turns out to be the little man who calms the frightened children by telling them that he loves them dearly1. He is the benevolent magical force who sends them to sleep2. Fourteen angels arrange themselves around the children to protect them as they sleep1.
The prelude to this act is called the Witch-ride1. It is a wild orchestral depiction of the Witch flying about hunting for children4. Humperdinck borrowed its swirling string runs from Wagner4.
Act 3
The Dew Fairy comes to wake the children and sprinkles dew on them1. Suddenly they notice a glorious gingerbread house1. The Witch takes out her wand and calls out “Stop!”; Hänsel and Gretel are frozen to the spot1. The Gingerbread Witch lures children with cakes and sweets, pushes them into her oven, where they turn to gingerbread1.
The famous arias
| Aria | Role | Act | First line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suse, liebe Suse (duet) | Hänsel and Gretel | 15 | Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh5 |
| Ein Männlein steht im Walde | Gretel | 24 | Ein Männlein steht im Walde4 |
| Der kleine Sandmann bin ich | The Sandman | 21,5 | Der kleine Sandmann bin ich5 |
| Abends will ich schlafen gehn (Abendsegen) | Hänsel and Gretel | 21,4 | Abends will ich schlafen gehn4,5 |
| Hokus pokus Hexenschuss | The Witch | 35 | Hokus pokus Hexenschuss5 |
| Hurr hopp hopp hopp | The Witch | 34 | Hurr hopp hopp hopp4 |
Gretel’s Ein Männlein steht im Walde has a text by the German poet August Heinrich Hoffmann, which is actually a riddle4. The Witch’s Hurr hopp hopp hopp is a peppy, polka-like dance4. The Evening Benediction is the children’s bedtime prayer, and its heavenly harmonies rise as they ask for angels to guard them4.
Wette died on 9 August 1916, so her text is in the public domain6. Here are lines in the original, each with our own plain translation:
| Original | Our translation |
|---|---|
| Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh5 | Suse, dear Suse, what is rustling in the straw |
| Der kleine Sandmann bin ich5 | I am the little Sandman |
| Hokus pokus Hexenschuss5 | Hocus pocus, witch’s shot |
| Abends will ich schlafen gehn5 | At evening I want to go to sleep |
Background and reception
Adelheid Wette was a German author, composer and folklorist, born on 4 September 1858 in Siegburg and the youngest sister of the composer6. She is best remembered today as the librettist of her brother6.
Humperdinck lived from 1854 to 19213. He was a protégé of Richard Wagner and assisted him with the preparations for the premiere of Parsifal at Bayreuth in 18802. The Witch’s Ride borrows swirling string runs from Wagner4.
Language and diction notes
The title and the text are in German1, so the rules in German diction for singers apply throughout.
Where to go next
Two more German-language scores to study are Der Rosenkavalier and The Magic Flute. For the sounds behind your transcription, start with IPA for singers.
